MI Weekly
    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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(For event details, visit the City's online calendar or click on a specific event)

Jan 2

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Jan 11

Jan 15

Your City Council
MAYOR
Debbie Bertlin
 
DEPUTY MAYOR 
 
COUNCILMEMBERS 
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Volunteer Opportunities 
City of
Mercer Island
Address
9611 SE 36th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

Phone
206.275.7600

Fax
206.275.7663

Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am to 5:00pm


Donations Requested 
The Mercer Island Food Pantry relies on your non-perishable food donations to keep the shelves stocked year-round.
Click for more info.
Jan 2, 2019 | Vol. 14 | No. 1
Text-to-911King County Launches Text-to-911 Service
Click to learn more about Text-to-911
On December 20, King County announced a new " Text-to-911" service that offers an alternative way to reach emergency assistance. The service is meant for people who might not able to make a traditional phonecall, such as those who are hard of hearing, speech-impaired, or in a situation (such as domestic violence) where visibly making a phone call might be dangerous. Texting 911 is not yet available statewide.

Emergency authorities still suggest calling first and treating the text option as a back-up, using the slogan: "Call if you can, text if you can't."  

If using Text-to-911, people should note their exact location, the type of emergency, and whether they need police, fire, or EMTs to respond. Texts should be brief and clear with no abbreviations. Do not send photos or videos. Learn more from this King County factsheet.
MITS_SaleThrift Shop Tallies Best Sale Day Ever
Some prime sale items; click to learn 
more about the Thrift Shop
In November 2018, the City's Thrift Shop held its customary Anniversary Sale to rave reviews, earning the most proceeds ever from the one-day event in its 43-year history. Total sales were almost $30,000, a huge increase over previous sales records.

 

Thorough preparation was the key to success: store staff and volunteers began in September by setting aside luxury apparel, handbags, jewelry, and by organizing holiday merchandise and décor.  The store was closed the day before the sale while a group of 30 moms and daughters from the National Charities League of Mercer Island helped staff and volunteers create a winter holiday wonderland.  On sale day, customers enjoyed a storewide discount of 30%, while staff served up coffee, cider and refreshments, and a team of four cashiers rang up 603 customers with 3,538 items.

 

Special thanks to Mercer Island supporters and all loyal Thrift Shop customers!

 

The Mercer Island Thrift Shop (MITS) is a revenue-generating component of the City of Mercer Island's Youth and Family Services Department, and supports programs such as school based counseling, youth development, individual and family counseling, senior adult outreach, substance abuse, and emergency family assistance. 

 

Learn more at www.mercerislandthrift.org or stop by and ask a manager for a tour.
Mercer Island Goes Green
Tree_RecyclingHoliday Tree Recycling Underway
The City will chip your tree for FREE
The City's annual FREE holiday tree chipping service is underway and continues through Sunday, January 13, for MI Residents only. 

Undecorated holiday trees can be brought to the City Public Works Shop at 9601 SE 36th Street (behind City Hall) during daylight hours where staff will chip the tree and re-purpose the material for use in City parks, trails, and open space projects. For safety, leave your tree in the designated location only.  When dropping off your holiday tree for chipping:
  • Remove tree stands
  • Remove all ornaments and lights
  • Deliver your tree only during daylight hours
  • Note: No flocked or artificial trees will be accepted
  • Note: No garbage or other yard waste will be accepted
For more information about holiday tree services, contact the City Public Works Department at (206) 275-7608.     
PhonescamScam Phonecall Alert
Be wary of scam phonecalls seeking transferable money
A few Island residents have reported receiving an automated phone call from (425) 597-7923 claiming to be from the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD). The message that is left asks for a return phone call and is one of the reoccurring "warrant scams." 

If the recipient returns a call to the number provided, it is answered by an automated phone tree system identifying itself as the Mercer Island Police Department, and even uses the name of a real MIPD officer! Th is is a scam seeking money from the victim.

At no time would any police officer from the MIPD, or any other agency/department, call and ask for money concerning a warrant, summons, and any other type of legal issue.  Please do not purchase transferable gift or credit cards or pay over the phone. The MIPD does NOT take money over the phone for any reason. 

If you receive this type of call and are worried about its authenticity, please call the non-emergency number for the City's 24/7 Dispatch Center (425) 577-5656,  and ask to report the incident to an officer.  

 

  
For questions and comments on the MI Weekly, contact
Sustainability & Communications Manager Ross Freeman at

ross.freeman@mercergov.org or 206.275.7662.